This page A Prada invitation (top) and the author’s shot of Dolce & Gabanna’s fall/winter 2003-04 collection (bottom) Opposite page The author’s private collection of photos includes images from the Yves Saint Laurent fall/winter 2001-02 haute couture collection (top) and Valentino spring/summer 2003 haute couture collection (bottom), many of which are featured in his new book (left)
In an era when email has killed the art of letter writing, the pleasures of printed stationery have slipped out of focus. Who sends physical invitations these days? Thankfully, fashion does. From Yves Saint Laurent and Balenciaga to Marc Jacobs and Prada, designers’ artful invitations act as calling cards for their catwalk shows. No email compares with the experience of opening an exquisite piece of stationery. Iain R. Webb, former fashion editor of British Elle and The Times of London, knows this well, and has compiled a book to celebrate these increasingly rare objects. Webb was looking through over four decades of personal catwalk show invitations when he realized he had amassed what amounted to a historical collection. The veteran fashion journalist discovered, with surprise, that no one had compiled a history of fashion
invitations, and as both a committed fan of glamour and a fashion academic, felt he had to remedy the situation. His new book, Invitation Strictly Personal, is the result. With an introduction by the American fashion designer Anna Sui, the portfolio gives a glimpse into the different mindsets of each designer. For Webb the show begins the moment the invitation is received. “They are a visual continuation of the creative thread that designers wish to share that particular season. John Galliano, for example, always used them to introduce the story of his collection, constructing an intriguing narrative, be it a leopard clutch bag filled with a lipstick, match book, party streamers and bank notes or a rusty old key with a handwritten luggage label.” As much for design enthusiasts as for ardent fashionistas, the 300-strong collection ranges from chic to political via the provocative, decorative and witty. It’s significant that this first book of fashion invitations is being published now, when digital culture is in full swing. Only now are design acadamics starting to consider the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s as historical periods. Now that receiving something in the post has come to feel like a special occasion, we can consider the humble invitation card a subject worth publishing. The book also includes ephemera that emphasizes the differences that digitization has brought to the worlds of fashion and journalism. Hand-drawn sketches and analogue photography collected from his catwalk-side seats look incredibly charming today, like intimate relics from some pre-digital 12th century. Despite his experience, Webb remains full of appreciation for the beauty and drama of his industry. “I count myself lucky to have been invited to the theatrical spectacles of John Galliano and Alexander McQueen 205 A